While political fires burn across the U.S. in the form of Roy Moore, President Trump declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel, and the rising value of cryptocurrencies against a dying dollar, southernCalifornia is currently facing much more dangerous and imminent fires. The postcard scenery of the Golden State — or at least vast sections of its lower half — is in flames, and thousands of lives are in peril.

As of Wednesday morning, the hellish blaze in Ventura covers 65,000 acres with no signs of stopping, according to Cal Fire. More than 1,700 firefighters are working to extinguish the fire, which is now threatening 12,000 structures and over 100,000 lives. At least 150 structures have already been absorbed into the blaze, but possibly many more have been lost, according to officials. Over 150,000 people have been ordered to flee their homes, and the number of evacuees could continue to grow as only 5% of the fire has been contained.

With the flames raging in the Ventura area and already having consumed swaths of land, a new fire broke out Wednesday morning near the famous the Bel Air neighborhood on Los Angeles’ westside, prompting closures of the 405 freeway and putting some of the nation’s priciest homes in danger. The fire is threatening both the Skirball Museum and the Getty Museum.

Also in Los Angeles County, roughly 25 miles north of Bel Air, an 11,000-acre fire is burning in Tujunga, Sunland, and Sylmar and remains zero percent contained.

The images of the fires, particularly in Ventura, are devastating and heartbreaking. Much like the footage Americans viewed with the recent historic flooding in Houston, many people are becoming victims of nature in mere moments and losing everything they have ever known.

Below are scenes that provide a snapshot of the hell and lake of fire sweeping across southern California.